


From Squirrels to Stripes: A Series of Essays on the World and Characters of the Witcher

by wrath_ruin_reddawn



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Character Analysis, Meta, Scioa'tael
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-04-28 09:05:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14445936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrath_ruin_reddawn/pseuds/wrath_ruin_reddawn
Summary: In light of the Witcher getting a Netflix series, I feel that now is as good a time as any to publish some of my meta on the universe of The Witcher!I don't know yet how many chapters I'm going to write; I'll update the essay list in the description as I go along!1. On Iorveth: An In-Depth Analysis (The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings)2. Radicalism in Medieval Settings and the Scioa'tael: Contextualizing Terrorism in Feudal Societies3. On Yaevinn: (Another) In-Depth Analysis (The Witcher 1)





	1. On Iorveth: an In-Depth Analysis

**Author's Note:**

> (Note: I am relying on the video game series here, and not the books. Although I’ve read them, I feel like there are enough discrepancies between the two to consider the video games their own, separate canon. I may come back at a later date after re-reading the novels and expand on this, but that isn’t likely, given that Iorveth doesn’t factor into the books nearly as much as he does in the games.) 

**_I. Backstory_ **

So, we hear from Triss that Iorveth is a  _“sly old elf,”_  who has been fighting humans for at least a hundred years, which places his age at 120, at least. We never find out where he’s from, and there isn’t much evidence for us to speculate on. There are, however, some interesting implications about Iorveth and his past before joining the Scioa’tael, which I’ll discuss below. 

One of the most intriguing lines, for me, comes from when Geralt and Iorveth are walking through Flotsam and having a bit of a philosophical discussion.They have this short conversation:

> _I: “Want to hear something funny, Gwynbleidd? I made life for these dh’oine a living hell, and yet I’ve never been here before.”  
>  _
> 
> _G: “Hm. Now that you see the hell that you helped create, what do you think of it?”  
>  _
> 
> _I: “They see **me**  for the first time as well, and yet I sense not a hint of remorse.”_

Iorveth then says, wistfully, that, _“The other side of the coin [is]… a concept devised by philosophers in Oxenfurt who have never set foot in Flotsam, or anyplace like it.”_

To me, this implies that Iorveth keeps up with The Discourse (he’d fit right in on tumblr) about nonhuman rights. And furthermore, his disillusionment with the ability of talk alone to enact change seems very personal– like he knows that writing essays on nonhuman rights won’t work, because he’s done it before, or he’s watched others try and fail. I don’t think that Iorveth just up and joined the Scioa’tael one day; I think that he chose that path after seeing that peaceful options weren’t getting results. As he puts it,  _“No one will grant us our freedom, Witcher, we must win it for ourselves.”_

Now, onto Iorveth’s most noticeable physical attribute: the scarring on his face. From the Witcher 2′s journal entries, it is stated that:

> _They say all elves are beautiful, that they are born thus. In Iorveth’s case someone set out to change this, marking his face with an ugly scar._    

However, although I think that this accurately describes what probably happened, it is important to note the source of this information. In the Witcher 2, Dandelion is our narrator, and all of the journal entries are written from his (often biased) perspective. So, while this is a likely explanation, it is not the only one. We are never told how Iorveth got his scar, so hypothetically it could have been the result of an accident, or a simple battle-wound. 

The last major point that we know about Iorveth’s past is that he, along with other Scioa’tael leaders, fought for Nilfgaard in the Second Nilfgaard-Nordling War, with the promise of freedom as their reward. However, as part of the peace agreement at the war’s end, the Scioa’tael were handed over to the Northerners, and subsequently executed, their bodies thrown into the Ravine of the Hydra. Passing over the Ravine Geralt recollects that,  _“53 officers of the Vrihedd Brigade were brought here and executed, their throats cut.”_ Iorveth was supposed to be one of those who died– it is not made clear how he escaped. 

But escape he did. The elves were given Dol Blathanna, the Valley of Flowers. However, to Iorveth and many of the Scioa’tael who had fought in the war, this was a hollow victory at best. Dol Blathanna exists without any real political autonomy of its own– an elven homeland, yes, but not a free one. In addition, Iorveth derisively refers to it as  _“the valley of sterile elders,”_  and points out that only twelve children have been born in Dol Blathanna since its founding; about two births per year. That’s a pretty abysmal statistic, considering that Dol Blathanna is home to around 2,000 elves– for reference, the average birth rate today is 18 births for every thousand people. Iorveth’s concerns are very valid. At that low of a birth rate, sustaining the population of Dol Blathanna would be virtually impossible. 

As a last note, we don’t know anything about Iorveth’s family, except that he briefly mentions his mother. 

> _G: “I take back what I said– you’re not grandiose, you’re **mad**.”_
> 
> _I: “My mother claimed likewise.”_

Considering that he uses the past-tense, I assume that she is either dead, or that he doesn’t have any contact with her. 

**_II. Iorveth and his Politics_ **

We are told, several times by multiple characters, that Iorveth hates humans. Dandelion says: 

> _“Stories of his deeds, of his deep hatred of dh'oine, painted him as more akin to a vengeful ghost than to an individual made of blood, bone and flesh.”_  

Geralt further elaborates that Iorveth and the Scioa'tael could be described as  _“a death squad_ ”, depending on your point of view. Iorveth himself is openly dismissive of humans, on multiple occasions. However, his ideology is clearly not that simple. Although he repeatedly states that he hates humans, I believe that his ethos is actually more nuanced than that. Iorveth expresses disgust over humans as a whole, yes, but more than that about  _human institutions. “I hate those monastic curs,”_ he says at one point. He also criticizes human special forces groups, remarking that they:

> _“…recruit only those who have nothing left to lose. They’re persuaded it’s all for a greater good and are spoon-fed dreams of revenge for the deaths of their loved ones. They gradually lose any vestige of humanity; kill when ordered to without hesitation. Of course the same happens to regular soldiers, only these special units actually enjoy hunting elves.”_        

Furthermore, we see that Iorveth is, at heart, a pragmatist. His clothing is a cobbled-together, patched mess of human and elven origin, in sharp contrast to the other Scioa’tael with their purely elven kit. Plus, we also see that he has a working relationship with Margot, a human who lives and works in Flotsam. This is why I think that Iorveth’s stated hatred of humans refers to the group and not always the individual. Backing up this assessment is his seeming regret over some of his actions. Although Iorveth openly admits to relishing killing cruel racists, when it comes to civilian casualties he refers to it as,  _“doing what is necessary to attain our goal.”_ The word  _necessary_  doesn’t imply enjoyment. 

Even Dandelion, who says that in general: 

> _“I usually get nervous around Scioa’tael. I see them as scoundrels and murderers, and find their presence outright unwanted.”_   

admits that Iorveth is  _“not a bloodthirsty monster.”_  

I’ll just leave the following quotes as further evidence that Iorveth has more beef with systematic human injustice than humans themselves. 

> _“The two dead kings were whoresons who’d damn their own children to stay in power.”  
>  _
> 
> _“[about Foltest] He might have appeared charming, but in reality he allowed the Elder Races in Temeria to be oppressed.”_

Iorveth sees what the feudal system does to people, and how it crushes empathy under its heels. He understands how  _stupid_ racism is. It honestly kind of shocks me that people call  _him_ a racist, when he blithely remarks that there has been  _“400 years of war over the mold of the auricle.”_ When he says that he hates dh’oine, he uses it in the same way that many oppressed groups do when referring to those in power. 

**_III. Iorveth and his Pensona_ **

As mentioned above, Iorveth has a fearsome reputation, built up over many years. People call him  _“a butcher”_ , and he has  _“a price on his head in all the Northern kingdoms.”_ This is a persona that he actively cultivates. Geralt calls him  _“grandiose”_ , and he does indeed use theatricality to inspire fear and respect in others. One of his mottos is:  _“Conquer with courage rather than strength,”_  and so he does. Iorveth repeatedly puts himself in danger, leading by example. His unit is incredibly loyal to him, and with his actions it is easy to understand why. 

There are additional advantages to Iorveth’s cultivation of a murderous reputation.  _It makes people underestimate him._ Zoltan is surprised that Iorveth was involved with the plot to kill Foltest, saying that he  _“always though Iorveth a common thug.”_  Even Geralt seems to misread Iorveth at first– during their first meeting, Geralt assumes that Iorveth is being controlled by someone else, and while it’s true that his allies have hidden agendas, Iorveth is  _far_ from helpless. Another character who employs a similar tactic is Letho, the kingslayer. He states that, because of his massive size,  _“Sooner or later, everyone starts treating me like a big oaf.”_ The only person, he notes, who never dismissed his intelligence was Iorveth. He tells Geralt that he decided to kill the elf:

> _“As soon as I realized I couldn’t manipulate him. A true fox, that one. He was so observant, so dangerous… I got the sense he’d see through me at any moment.”_

However, there are a few people who see through Iorveth’s carefully crafted aura. One of them is Einar Gausel, a dwarf from Flotsam, and the unofficial go-between for Flotsam’s nonhuman community and the commandant. When Geralt says. alarmed,  _“That’d make you a prime target for Iorveth,”_   Einar just laughs.

> _“Heh, heh, you’re correct on that account. He’s warned me many times, and I’ve explained the need for my function to him just as many. Both in vain– it seems we’ve agreed to disagree. Well, the sword is his calling, the pen mine, hence no meeting of the minds.”_

That is clearly not the response of someone in desperate fear for their life. Einar’s ongoing philosophical disagreement with Iorveth is framed in exactly that way– a disagreement. Even though Einar believes that Iorveth doesn’t trust him, the elf lets him alone. Not exactly the actions of a callous killer who disposes of anyone who disagrees with him.  

**_IV. Speaking of…_ **

Continuing on with that last point, I feel like I need to talk about Iorveth’s personality, because I love this little shit so much. (I mean he’s a melodramatic edgelord  _WHICH IS MY FUCKING WHEELHOUSE._ )

I’ve already touched on Iorveth’s skill at manipulation and leadership, so I won’t really go over those. No, what I want to talk about is that, under the all the prickliness, Iorveth is kinder and more gracious than some people give him credit for. 

For example, after their plot to trap Letho goes tits up, Geralt needs to run back to Flotsam to save Triss. Iorveth reminds him that the Scioa’tael can’t enter the town, and Geralt gets a little salty with his response.  _“That’s right,”_  he says, _“I forgot what kind of warriors you are.”_ In response, Iorveth just smiles at him, and says goodbye. Indeed, Iorveth is very willing to hear other people’s opinions, especially once they have his trust. He takes Geralt’s suggestion to modify the barge attack in stride, and if the Witcher criticizes his ideology he responds with,  _“Thank you for your harsh words. They say that truth heals.”_ (Granted, it sounds a bit snide, but still.) 

I think, however, that the best example of Iorveth’s better qualities is this. The sorceress who enchants Saskia, Philippa Eilhart, is eventually caught and captured by her former pupil, King Radovid of Redania. In a truly barbarous act, he has both of her eyes gouged out while she is imprisoned. Upon seeing her Iorveth asks, horrified,  _“Who did this to her?”_

And this sympathy is for someone that he hates, someone who has put the future of his people in jeopardy by her betrayal. Of course, he is still unspeakably angry with her, but in that moment there is honest compassion. (One has to wonder if he isn’t remembering the loss of his own eye.) In addition, when he finds out that Philippa knew her attacker well, he states, disgusted, that,  _“[he] saw [Radovid] with his army, on the way to the talks, **whistling a tune**.”_

Then there is the matter of Vernon Roche. Iorveth, obviously, does not approve of Roche, or his dogged loyalty to a king who is, from his perspective, undeserving. He mentions that Roche is responsible for  _“the pacification of the Mahakam Foothills,_ ” and calls him a  _“murderer of women and children.”_ However, despite being on opposite sides,he seems to respect the Blue Stripes commander. Dandelion notes that their relationship seems  _“complicated”._

> __“The Scoia'tael openly hated the Blue Stripes’ commander, and doubtless wanted his death. Yet one could see in him a shadow of respect for the Temerian’s abilities and tenacity. The fact that the elf could give even a hated enemy his due was, I think, to his credit.”_  
>  _

Iorveth fights Roche before leaving Flotsam, and spares him. Although, interestingly, he later frets about this act of mercy, worrying that it will come back to bite him in the ass. Questioning his own decisions and expressing concern over his mistakes is another trait of Iorveth’s. After learning that Letho fled to Aedirn, he bemoans that,  _“the Scioa’tael in Aedirn will pay for my stupidity with their lives!”_ This tendency could be the result of the pressure placed on his shoulders. Iorveth’s right hand-elf, Ciaran aep Easnillen, believes that,  _“all would be lost,”_  without his commander. He calls Iorveth  _“an Aen Seidhe… a real one, a free one. One of the last.”_  While I remain doubtful that Iorveth sees himself in such fanciful terms, Ciaran is right about one thing. After the systematic execution of Scioa’tael leaders at the Ravine of the Hydra, Iorveth is one of the only elven leaders left who is not aligned with Dol Blathanna. 

As a reminder, he views Dol Blathanna as little more than a glorified nursing home, a place for elves to be put to pasture as their race slowly dies out. The amount of stress that he feels as one of the only ones left with the experience to lead the young elves of the future must be  _massive._

**_V. Iorveth and Saskia_**    

For our last section, I feel that I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about Iorveth, and his relationship with Saskia. 

Firstly, I’d like to address the dragon in the room, which is the repeated hints of romantic feelings between Iorveth and Saskia (particularly on Iorveth’s side). And while it is very clear that Iorveth respects, and maybe even loves, Saskia, I think we need to talk about some of the societal assumptions that characters are working off of. The world of the Witcher is very sexist. (Not necessarily the games themselves, but the setting.) I mean, just fucking read Dandelion’s journal entry on Saskia.

> _“Interestingly, all these heroines were not only charismatic, but also extremely beautiful– the squint-eyed, gap-toothed, and pock-marked generally have trouble rousing the masses. Saskia, whom men would follow into fire, was no exception. She was a smooth-skinned lass with blonde hair, dark brows, large eyes and shapely lips.Her full breasts perfectly complimented her rounded hips. In other words, she was the ideal icon for a rebellion. For, dear reader, if a man in battle receives the appropriate motivation in the form of a lovely female arse, he is likely to achieve miracles in its wake. When there is no such arse to lead the way, the freedom fighter’s thoughts quickly turn to harvest time, his own woman, and a half-pint of booze at the inn.”_        

Although I admit that being beautiful can contribute to being better perceived, especially in societies that place high value on such things, but fucking  _still._ Dandelion devotes more time describing Saskia’s sweet bod than he does her chops as a leader. This emphasis on Saskia’s physical appearance also tinges how many characters view her interactions with Iorveth. Zoltan  _and_ Geralt both make insinuations that Saskia is using her looks to ensure Iorveth’s cooperation, which is just… no. So much no. 

We’ve already established that Iorveth is a tricksy motherfucker; that he is calculating, cautious, and also over a hundred years old. Guys. He is not going to get taken in by a honeypot scheme. He may very well love Saskia, and at the least he has enormous respect for her, but if he does it’s not because she is leading him on. 

Again, text drop of some of the things Iorveth says about Saskia.

> _“In the East, there is someone truly deserving of a crown.”_
> 
> _“[Saskia] is the best leader I know.”_
> 
> _“She’s more than a dh’oine; someone who restored hope to the Aen Seidhe.”_   

There is also the fact that Iorveth immediately notices that something is up with her when she’s being mind controlled.  _“I don’t like it. Saskia…. I know her well. She’s never acted like that.”_

Whether you ship them romantically or not, these two have mad respect for each other, and they trust each other implicitly. Heck, Iorveth and Saskia came up with the myth of Saskia the Dragonslayer  _together._  (Also I know that there is a comic further addressing what happens to Saskia and Vergen, but I haven’t been able to read it and won’t comment on it until I can get my paws on it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell, I can’t believe that I got through this! Thank you so much for sticking around to read through all of this, if you did. If not, I get that too! This essay is a MONSTER. I might write more like this in the future. I am already tentatively starting one on the Scioa’tael and the logistics of guerilla warfare/peasant uprisings in the medieval period. So maybe look forward to that. 
> 
> Va faill, en'ca minne! (Don’t get killed.) 
> 
> (Also also, feel free to hit me up on tumblr @wrath-ruin-reddawn.tumblr.com for more Witcher content/ to say hey!)


	2. Radicalism in Medieval Settings and the Scioa'tael

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A discussion of revolutions and resistance; contextualizing the Scioa'tael to their in-universe circumstances.

One of the most common complaints hurled against the Scioa’tael and its members is that, “they’re terrorists”. This slight is hard to refute, because, according to the most basic definition of  _terrorist_ – i.e. “ a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims “– they  _are._ However, as this essay will explain, calling the Scioa’tael terrorists overlooks several centuries of social, political, and martial development, making it an unfair comparison. 

First, we must address the elephant in the room. We live in a post 9/11 world; many of us from the United States grew up in the atmosphere of pervasive fear that dominated the Bush era and the so-called War on Terror. Other nations have been similarly affected by their own tragedies, their own acts of terrorism, both foreign and domestic. This makes it difficult to talk about terrorism because it evokes deeply rooted emotions, for everyone, and understandably so. Even so, we must endeavor to dissociate our present connotations from the word itself, in order to better discuss terrorism both as it now exists and how it functioned in medieval societies. The main problem with terrorism in modern free societies, and why it is particularly reviled, is that it is fundamentally unnecessary. In cultures where people are guaranteed the right to vote, protest, and assemble, resorting to violence, especially violence against civilians, is abhorrent because the will of the people can be expressed through other ways. Voting out people whose political views we disagree with and protesting unjust laws with marches and rallies are just two of the ways in which citizens of a democracy can communicate and enforce their wishes. 

Of course, even in a democracy, there are ways in which the will of the people can be subverted. Systemic factors like social class mean that the rich individuals and powerful companies can afford to lobby and donate money to politicians in ways that the poor cannot. Heck, I have seen politicians win the popular vote but still lose the presidential election twice in my lifetime thanks to the weird setup of the American electoral college. However, even  _with_ these issues, citizens still have important, legal rights that protect their ability to assemble and protest….  ** _rights that were largely absent under feudal systems like the world of the Witcher._**  The consideration of this setting is what we will discuss in the rest of this essay, to better contextualize the Scioa’tael as a movement, and to led to a discussion of revolution under oppressive regimes.

## SECTION I: FEUDAL SOCIETY

**I. Contextualizing the Problem**

Before we can even begin to talk about the social context of the Scioa’tael, we need to try and establish what kind of world the Witcher takes place in. Although, obviously, the setting is fictional, our best bet is to try and draw connections between the Witcher universe and our own. 

One of the easiest ways to narrow our focus is to try and establish what historical time-frame the Witcher roughly corresponds to. Now, there are multiple ways to do this, but I will focus primarily on the technology, vocabulary, and historical references. Of course, this is difficult, because the fantastical elements in the Witcher use very modern terms. For example, the words “mutagen” (1946) and “gene” (1909) which both appear in the series, were only conceived in the 20th century, which clashes heavily with the Witcher’s decidedly medieval aesthetic. However, these words are derived from pre-existing French/Latin bases, so they could have hypothetically been devised earlier in the universe of the Witcher to fulfill a need. (Sorceresses, after all, are able to do some pretty incredible things, and they clearly have an advanced understanding of biology. See: the fact that they can intentionally mutate living organisms via gene therapy.) 

As for historical references, we can see a few characters mentioned in the Witcher universe who have clear parallels to real life figures. For example, Dandelion mentions a revolutionary named “Joan of the Arc Coast”, whose name is obviously very close to Joan of Arc. The real life Joan of Arc lived between 1412 and 1431. Further backing up this rough estimate for the time period is the fashion. We see several men in the Witcher series wearing chaperons (Roche’s head-gear of choice), that became particularly fashionable in the 15th century. The attire of most nobles (hose, a tunic, and shoes) also fits with this time-frame.

This places the Witcher during the medieval period. 

**II. The Medieval Period in Europe Was Especially Shitty, and Here’s Why!**

In news that probably surprises absolutely no one, the medieval period was pretty awful for anyone who wasn’t a rich male noble. The primary economic and political system was feudalism, a social structure that’s basically a pyramid. At the bottom of this structure were the peasants and serfs, who worked the land overseen by knights and vassals, who in turn reported to lords, who answered to the monarchy. Obviously, in this structure the king had absolute power, and the serfs practically none. 

This imbalance of power was maintained in a multitude of ways. For starters, even though peasants comprised the majority of European populations, they lacked the resources of the upper classes. If they wanted to resist with physical force, they could find themselves up against knights: men with expensive life-saving armor who were literally trained since childhood to fight. And refusing to pay their taxes simple wasn’t an option– they didn’t even legally own the land they worked on, remember. Even free peasants still technically rented their land from their lords. If they refused to work, they could suffer terrible repercussions, and without the ability to unionize or go on strike en masse any attempts to hurt their lords by refusing to work would fail. 

An additional form of control was the church. The clergy helped maintain the power structure of the feudal system by  _“sanctify[ing] the divine rule of the king and justify[ing] royal measures to the rest of the population”_  (Ishay). Under conventional European feudalism, the church was not  _“a free agent… but rather an intrinsic part of the apparatus of power”_ (Ishay). 

Now, admittedly, the religious structures in the Witcher are different than that of the Catholic church in medieval Europe. For starters, Catholicism was incredibly influential precisely because of how singular and all-encompassing it was.  _“Religion permeated every pore of medieval life,”_  (Ishay). However, in the Witcher universe, there are at least several different religious organizations in the North. The cult of Melitele is  _“the most widespread”_  of all the Nordling’s religions, but even so it is a far cry from the utter domination of the Catholic church in Western Europe. (Of course, eventually this would change during the Protestant Reformation, and the Orthodox Church has always held sway in the East. But the important factor here is more that there was utter hegemony by one religious institution than what institution it was.) 

Despite this difference, we do see that religious institutions do seem to prop up the monarchy in the world of the Witcher, even if their reach isn’t as lengthy. We see priests at peace talks, on battlefields, and most importantly performing coronations. Nobles still use the excuse of divine right to justify their actions and their rule. Clearly, this parallels the rhetoric used in medieval Europe. To my own interpretation, although the Cult of Melitele is no stand-in for the Catholic Church, it still bolstered the institution of feudalism.

Feudalism was a system of finance as much as a governmental one, and as such examining the economies of the Northern kingdoms can provide further insight to the political weight (or lack thereof) of the lower classes. Now, towards the end of the medieval period there was an increase in the power of merchants and traders– essentially, the foundation of what we today call nouveau riche; people who were not from genteel families rising to prominence (think of the Medici in Florence). This correlated to the flourishing of city-states and the birth of the middle class. There was also a corresponding increase in the right to own private property; something that, while uncontroversial today, was revolutionary at the time. 

> _“The gradual decline of feudalism and its monopolistic economy, for instance, eventually would lead to the free markets of capitalism based on the concept of the individual’s right to private property, thereby providing greater individual autonomy and opportunities for the beneficiaries to transform their newfound economic power into political power.” (Lauren)_

Of course, this point would be meaningless if the Witcher did not have a similar economy to typical ones in medieval Europe. Fortunately for us, it is– or at the very least, it appears to be. Although Geralt isn’t exactly reading newspapers with descriptions of the stock market, we can see several things that provide insight into the fiscal reality of the Nordling economy. From what we can see, there is a decent merchant class in cities like Vizima, Flotsam, and Novigrad, and there is clearly a class of people who have risen themselves up above their station. This implies that the economic situation in the North does resemble that of late medieval Europe. 

However, it is important to note that greater economic mobility did not necessarily contribute to the development of better freedoms and living conditions nearly as much as other factors.   _“As long as the public realm was dormant, closely linked to the private realm, and subservient to religious and feudal authority, the state, however backward, was still uncontested_ ” (Ishay). Funnily enough, the sense of community built up through religious institutions eventually lead to people having a public outlet for their frustrations… but the world of the Witcher isn’t there yet, and so that will remain a topic for another day. 

## SECTION II: THE ETHICS OF TERRORISM, ESPECIALLY IN A FEUDAL SOCIETY        

**I. There Are No Alternatives**

As shitty as it is to say, there really aren’t many options for nonhumans in the North. Hell, there aren’t many options for  _anyone_  in the North, even human peasants. Like we discussed above, the feudal system was crappy all around, and particularly resistant to change, as  _“no significant public space permitted democratic communication between the peasantry and feudal authorities”_  (Ishay). In some cases, like in Russia and parts of Eastern Europe serfdom continued up until  _“the wars, revolutions, and upheavals of the nineteenth century br[oke] practices of the past_ ” (Lauren). 

Considering how marginalized nonhumans are, is it really surprising that the Scioa’tael formed? Although peaceful methods of resistance  _might_ be possible, it remains a fact that feudalism leaves no room  _“for the advancement of political and economic rights”_  (Ishay). Let us not forget what Dandelion says about nonhuman rights:

> _“It is a fact that, as the scrawlings on the wall of the University of Oxenfurt say: "Pacifying nonhumans is like wallowing in mud – everyone gets dirty, generally with blood."”_

The dream of the Scioa’tael for a world in which they can self-determine, and have the same freedoms and respect that humans enjoy, is  _dangerous._ Because  _“these visions of human rights possess the capacity to challenge, to generate fear, to hold out hope and inspire, and to change the world”_  (Lauren).     

In light of these facts, I don’t think that it’s really possible to deny that open rebellion is pretty much the only way for the Scioa’tael to gain any rights. As for how bad nonhumans have it… well, that’s an essay for another day. I’ll just say that there is definitely some racial/ethnic coding going on with the nonhumans, and that we can use this to form an even more grim outlook of their prospects than the already bleak view offered by the novels and video game series. 

**II. Methodology and the Ethics of War**

Now that we have established that nonhumans have almost no choices or ability to enact political change by peaceful means, we can now talk about the morality of terrorism, and try to come to a consensus about the Scioa’tael. 

Of course, ethics are inherently subjective. Although I have described, at length, how revolution in feudal societies practically demands violence, I am sure that some of you will remain unconvinced. That’s your prerogative. I think that it’s  _crazy_ , but you do you I guess. But for the rest of us, we now have to address the muddy waters of rebellion and warfare. Namely: what makes war just? What actions are permissible in war?

These questions are not easy to answer. Some believe that, as long as the cause is just, any action is justified; others that just actions are what make the cause just. I think that the reality is probably somewhere in the middle. 

This brings up another issue: namely, that the Scioa’tael don’t function as a single unit. Each unit reports to a commander, and therefore the conduct of each commando can vary wildly. For example, the unnamed leader of one Scioa’tael group abducted Ves as a young woman, keeping her as his sex slave and prisoner. Other commanders are more discerning– although they may torch villages and kill merchants who infringe on their territories, these Scioa’tael don’t seem to take prisoners for such extended periods of time and seem to have  _some_ sense of decency. Sure, they’ll torture their enemies for information, but they draw the line at, you know,  _raping children._    

Two of the main criteria for defining whether a cause is just or not are  _just cause_ and  _right intention_ : i.e are you fighting for a good reason? And do you have good intentions? And in the case of most Scioa’tael groups, we can assuredly say that they have just cause (they want freedom), and right intentions (that one only does actions with the goal of seeing your cause realized– and that you intend to  _stop_ when you win).    

And two of the main aspects of the waging of war itself is that of  _proportionality_ and  _non-combatant immunity._ The ideal of proportionality essentially states that you should not use unnecessary force: or at the very least, force that is not greater than what you enemies use against you. Non-combatant immunity states that you should, you know, only attack viable military targets. 

Considering that the Scioa’tael aren’t using methods more extreme than the humans, we see that the moral of  _proportionality_  is maintained. Really, the only point of contention with the Scioa’tael is the principle of non-combatant immunity. Of course, the Scioa’tael would make the argument that humans violate this principle every day, and that they are only responding in kind; or they might make the argument that all humans are part of the system of oppression and thus bear some culpability for it. 

## SECTION III: CONCLUSION  

In the previous sections, I have laid out the social context and justification for the Scioa’tael as best I can. I can’t offer a simple, easy answer as to whether they are doing the right thing or not. Their methods are definitely questionable, but, as American Revolutionary Thomas Paine once said, “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered.” However, I do hope that this essay can help elevate the discourse from mud-slinging the term “terrorist” to an honest discussion, especially one that takes the sociopolitical setting of the Witcher into account instead of borrowing the word’s modern connotations wholesale. I think that, although difficult, the ethical questions raised about warfare and conduct are things that we  _must_  all consider, especially given the way the political climate is turning. How far can we go to defend liberty? Under what conditions are acts of violence permissible?  

## REFERENCES  

Ishay, Micheline R. The History of Human Rights: From Ancient Times to the Globalization Era. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008   

Lauren, Paul Gordon. The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen (Third Edition). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011 

“Mutagen”, “Gene”. Oxford English Dictionary, [www.oed.com](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oed.com&t=ZTQ2YzExNDVjZTc0MjU4YzZiZGUxMTJkODBjNTExN2Y1ZTkwYmI2YixsblJoMXZlbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AOqFY62TMYrfh1hKHNfgoAw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwrath-ruin-reddawn.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F173456983450%2Fradicalism-in-medieval-settings-and-the-scioatael&m=1). Retrieved 04/28/18.  

Steinhoff, Uwe. On the Ethics of War and Terrorism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well all, here's another chapter! This one definitely required a lot more research on my part, but it was still enjoyable to write. I'm honestly both excited and scared to see what y'all think of this one-- philosophy is simultaneously interesting to discuss with other people, but also TERRIFYING because it can lead to shouting and such. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who read and left kudos/comments on the previous essay! It's helping me get through the pre-finals week panic.


	3. On Yaevinn: An In-Depth Essay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELCOME BACK FRIENDOS. I just did a long piece of meta on the Scioa’tael that took a lot of research, so I figured that I’d give myself a break and do another character analysis. And, because I’m on a #elfroll (and I had to play through The Witcher anyway to gather more info for a future essay), I’ve decided to do a write-up for Yaevinn! My second-favorite moody elf in the Witcher universe. Wait, Toruviel. Third favorite.

**I. Yaevinn’s Background**

We aren’t given Yaevinn’s age explicitly, although it is subtly implied that he may be old… very old. When speaking with Geralt, he reminisces about Aelirenn’s rebellion, and he remains almost suspiciously silent when Geralt then asks if he was part of it. If this is true, it would mean that Yaevinn is at least 220 years old. Yaevinn is also very open about his past. He tells Geralt that:

> _“I once lived in a city among humans. I was honest and courteous, respected all their ridiculous customs and laws. Assimilation– I lived that word for years…”_

Furthermore, Yaevinn also says that he  _“lived among humans for **decades**.” _ To my way of thinking, if Yaevinn did participate in Aelirenn’s uprising, it must have been after dwelling with humans for several decades. (It wouldn’t make much sense for him to start as a rebel and then decide to settle down in a human village.) This would push his age up to 240+, if it’s true.  

There are also other snippets of dialogue that make reference to a potential lost love. Although Yaevinn himself makes no allusion to a dead lover, he does seem highly invested in the tragic love story of Lara Dorren aep Shiadhal. To be fair though, Yaevinn does have a very poetic soul, so it could just be that. 

Regardless of dead paramours, we know that Yaevinn, like many of the Scioa’tael, fought in the Second Nordling Nilfgaard War, and was part of the Battle of Brenna. During the battle, he came upon the medical tent where Shani and Milo “Rusty” Vanderbeck were treating patients, but refrained from slaughtering them once he realizes that they were helping soldiers from both sides. 

After the events of the Witcher (PC), we learn nothing of Yaevinn’s fate– only that he escaped Vizima. However, considering that Iorveth talks about him in the past tense in TW2, I have the sinking suspicion that he’s dead. 

**II. Political Ideology**

Yaevinn’s political ethos is, funnily enough, less explicitly stated than Iorveth’s, even while his personal motivations are more clear. However, there are some points that we can extrapolate about him from what we’re given in game. 

Obviously, considering that Yaevinn is still fighting, he’s somewhat dissatisfied with the agreement of the Peace of Cintra and the current state of Dol Blathanna. And, considering the strength of his rhetoric, I think that Yaevinn was sincerely hoping for the Nilfgaardians to win the war and conquer the North, given that they treat the Elder Races somewhat better. Since we know that Yaevinn tried to assimilate into human society, I believe that coexistence with humans– or at the very least an end to nonhuman persecution– was always one of his central goals. 

In terms of his conviction, Yaevinn stresses on multiple occasions that he is willing to do anything to achieve his goals for a better tomorrow, even risk his own life. 

> _“To be frank, Geralt, any concession gained, even the tiniest right, would be a victory. Somehow the process must begin and I’d rather see it happen now.”_
> 
> _“If I have but a slim chance of gaining equal rights for nonhumans, I must risk it.”_

This willingness to do whatever is necessary also extends to his methods. Yaevinn and his Scioa’tael attack residents of Vizima, taking out their enemies with specially designed arrows. Geralts describes them as:

> _“Fragmenting tip. Enters the stomach as one, exists the back as three, mincing the internal organs. Hawkers specialty. Useless against armored soldiers– the tips burst on the surface of even the lightest armor. They’re used to kill civilians, for show, as a cruel warning.”_

Now, this comment about the fragility of these weapons highlights another aspect of Yaevinn’s character. Earlier in this essay I mentioned that he has a poetic soul, and it is absolutely true. Maybe, even to his detriment. Which leads me into my next point:

**III. Personal Views and Their Encumbrance on His Effectiveness**

Yaevinn’sidealism and search for beauty in the world may have been an asset if he were a painter or a writer, but they work against him as a military commander. Although Yaevinn claims that he doesn’t  _“want to get killed”_  and that  _“[he] wouldn’t risk [his] life and weeks of torture for mere amusement,”_ he certainly shows a certain theoretical appreciation for martyrdom. When speaking about the elves who died during the Aelirenn rebellion, he wistfully says that:

> _“They died for Shaerrawedd, and for Aelirenn. Just as she had promised, with dignity. Heroically, with honor.”_

Similarly, he shows appreciation for Lara Dorren, who spent the last few moments of her life  _“giv[ing] birth to a daughter whom she protected with what warmth remained in her waning body.”_ Indeed, this tendency is something that others notice, and pick up on. When Geralt mentions that he knew Yaevinn, Iorveth replies that  _“he had beautiful dreams,”_ but criticizes his plans as being  _“unrealistic”_. He comments that:

> _“Yaevinn saw combat and killing as poetry. Whereas war is prose, with no place for beauty.”_

Now, just because Yaevinn is an idealist doesn’t automatically make him a worse commander. But I do think that, in his case, it hampers his effectiveness. During one operation he acknowledges that he is taking  _“an unnecessary risk”_  by going to Vizima, but he does so anyway. Note that I am not saying a  _calculated risk_ but an unnecessary one, because Yaevinn was not willing to let his unit take the risk alone. Although it is commendable that he is so dedicated to his cause and his troops, Yaevinn would have been royally screwed if Geralt hadn’t shown up. He  _and_ his commando would have been caught. 

And then there is his plan in Vizima. Yaevinn intends to force Foltest to negotiate. Which hey, sounds like a good plan. Except. 

Yaevinn says that: 

> _“Humans live brief lives, like mayflies. They’re not likely to surprise me, whether king or poet.”_

And yet, the crux of his plan is negotiating with  ** _FOLTEST OF TEMERIA_**. You know, the Foltest who is utterly intractable? The Foltest who, a few mere years later, gets into such a squabble with his baby mamma that it causes a siege. If I had to pick anyone to parlay with, it most certainly wouldn’t be him! (Although he is probably better than Radovid or Henselt, but that’s not saying much.) 

If Geralt takes the Scioa’tael path in the game, we even see how this negotiation plays out. Foltest capitulates to some of the Scioa’tael’s demands, letting a few of them escape the city, but as Dandelion describes  _“the king’s mercy was short-lived.”_ And that, really, is the biggest problem with Yaevinn’s plan: the crux of it is trusting Foltest to keep his word. Monarchy, remember? The king does what he wants. Besides, even if he did decide to try and uphold his end of the bargain, I’m sure that his barons and other nobles would object 

Like Iorveth said, this plan is very ambitious, and very unrealistic. Yaevinn’s impatience for change, now undermines his more cautious, thoughtful nature. 

**IV. Just His Personality in General**

Speaking of Yaevinn’s nature, I’m going to take this section to talk about him as a person. 

So, one of Yaevinn’s defining characteristics is that he’s pretty haughty. Although, as he describes, this came about as a reaction to his surroundings. He says that while living with humans he was:

> _”…cheated, sneered at, and on occasion beaten and robbed. I felt no hated for humans. In fact, I felt better than them. I told myself they were simply incapable of controlling their weaknesses, their flaws. I was robbed three times as often as others. Racist slogans were painted on my door in excrement. For years I wondered why. Was I doing something wrong? What could I do to bring peace to my life? And you know what I came to understand? I was doing nothing wrong. I had been lying to myself from the outset. Just as the moon will never catch the sun, so humans will never change. They will remain egotistical, envious, petty, and fearful of anything they don’t understand– and believe me, there’s plenty. Matters proceeded quickly thereafter, but that’s another story.”_

He continues to show this sense of superiority when he vehemently denies that his hatred of humans makes him  _anything_ like them. 

> _G: “Now you sound like humans.”_
> 
> _Y: “No Geralt, definitely not.”_

And also when he expresses disgust at several humans praying while their homes burn down. However, Geralt puts him in his place, saying that they need reassurance and guidance in the face of such tragedy. At this, Yaevinn relents, admitting that,  _“Many elves mourn today, too.”_  This is the closest that we ever get to self-reflection with Yaevinn, and it’s possible that this signals character growth for him. 

However, arrogance aside, Yaevinn does have positive qualities. He seems to be a rather spiritual person, and one who is connected with nature. He can often be found relaxing with the Druids, and he says that  _“the druid’s grove acts as a sanctuary where I can quietly think, lay plans.”_

Likewise, he does have a sense of humor hiding under all that flowery language. For example, when Geralt asks him:

> _G: “How are you?”_
> 
> he responds with:
> 
> _Y: “We suffocate in the shackles placed upon us by our human oppressors… I jest, though there is truth in what I say.”_

Yaevinn also shows some vulnerability, at one point starting to make (what sounds like) a last request. However, when Geralt refuses to entertain the thought, Yaevinn again shows the more playful side of himself. 

> _Y: “Geralt, if I die…”  
>  G: “You won’t. Ever heard of a freedom fighter dying while wading through crap?”   
> Y: “No, indeed. Let’s put this corpse to rest.”_

There’s also the funny matter of Yaevinn hardly ever swearing. I think that he might swear  _once_ in the entirety of TW1. 

So, in conclusion, Yaevinn is basically a haughty poet at heart who would really be better off reading Byron somewhere. 

**Author's Note:**

> (Feel free to hit me up on tumblr @wrath-ruin-reddawn.tumblr.com for more Witcher content/ to say hey!)


End file.
